Full Report

The full JD Edwards report to customer satisfaction in the airline industry can be found here. It is interesting to note that the survey found that the overall drop in customer satisfaction is related to interaction with airline staff, as opposed to decreasing service levels and increasing costs. The overall experience is declining for customers - money quote:

“Across the airline experience, from check-in, to the flight, to deplaning, passengers are being affected by the ramifications of carriers making staff cutbacks and have expressed that performance and attitudes of airline staff are suffering,”

What is interesting here is that the pain threshold for customers from a cost perspective has not been met despite worsening service and at times insulting surcharges. Airlines will not change their behaviour (reducing staff and service + increasing costs to the customer) until customers change their behaviour (stop flying).

From a customer experience perspective this is termed as a detractor, someone who is actively against your product or service. The airlines should track the experience and customer satisfaction levels of those who are at detractor levels to determine the pain threshold - and watch out because they will.